Rap's Mount Rushmore

So i know y'all have been waiting for my Rap Mount Rushmore for a while....So im going to give you my picks and explain why I picked them. Of course you're free to disagree, but know this....these are my 4 rappers that I like and feel deserve these spots. There is no order but lets get into it.....

Spot #1- Jay-z

Believe it or not, Jay is the 1st rapper that came to my mind. I thought about maybe giving this spot to The Notorious B.I.G. but Biggie just doesn't have that much material. All 4 of the rappers i picked have lots of albums. Ok back to Jay-z. Jigga has been so successful and so consistent for the most part. Its just hard to imagine the rap game without Shawn Carter. For one his albums are all pretty good. Jay can make any type of song; from club bangers, to introspective songs, to love songs.

Personally Jay has been one of the reasons I started to like rap a lot. So he has surely earned his spot on my Mt. Rushmore of Rap. I feel Jay's best albums are Blueprint 1, Reasonable Doubt, then the Black Album.

Spot #2-Nas

Now i picked Nas for a lot of reasons, and I was contemplating puttin 2 Pac here instead. However I feel these 2 match up well, but I have always liked Nas more so there you go. Nas is an impeccable lyricist. Not only that but he's arguably rap's best storyteller. Nas has some classic albums under his belt.....i think the best 3 albums he's put out are Illmatic, Stillmatic, and Life Is Good. You can poke holes in my album list, it doesn't matter.

Spot #3-Kanye West

Kanye is one of my favorite rappers, if not my favorite all time. Im not gonna rant about his arrogance but Kanye is, i think, the most creative rapper of all time. He is a great producer of course, which has helped him have a unique sound. Kanye lyrically, much improved from College Dropout days, but he hasnt seemed to be improved from 2010....I think My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is his best album, but i like Graduatin the most.....

Spot #4-Eminem

The White boy is no joke. He's an incredibly entertaining rapper. His music is almost always very introspective. Sometimes tho, he's just a beast on the mic, with a lyrical flow that makes him unique. I'd say that early on Em's career that he was more creative, but now hes much more focused on trying to be the best rapper ever. His best albums in my opinon are THe Marshall Mathers LP and then its up in the air after that.

Nas Albums Worst to Best

20) Nastradamus (75)- It really shouldn’t be a surprise to see this one ranked so low. The lyricism isn’t abysmal but everything is pretty average. How does a song like “Big Girl” make it to a Nas album?? It’s just a boring album plain and simple….I don’t really have a lot to say about it. 19) Street’s Disciple (82) -I hate having this one so low. I honestly like a lot of the songs on this double disc. Unfortunately there’s quite a bit of filler here just like with Jay-z’s Blueprint 2. Disc one has hits like “Nazareth Savage”, “American Way”, “ Just a Moment” and “ You Know My Style”. Disc 2 has some heat on it too: “Suicide Bounce”, the title track, “Virgo”, “Bridging the Gap” and “Thiefs Theme”. 18) T he Lost Tapes 2 (86) -This one I admit I haven’t heard that much…but its pretty decent. It gets off to a good start with songs like “Vernon Family” and “Jarreau of Rap (Skatt Attack)”. A lot of these songs are ok….but not muc...

Album Review: Kid Cudi-Insano (regular version)

I gotta admit I didn't like this album that much when I first heard it over half a year ago. I've heard that Kid Cudi doesn't exactly play to his strengths....that's partly true. I do like his rapping here tho. Honestly most songs here kinda blend together....."Keep Bouncin'" is really hype....and it gets the album off to a good start. "At The Party" with Pharrell Williams and Travis Scott may be my favorite song. "Wow" with A$AP Rocky is another highlight. Overall tho I feel this album tries too hard to be trendy. Cudi needed to put more of his pain into it. I mean a happy Cudi album isn't a bad thing but it really seems odd to me. You're not getting alot of singing or hums here know what I mean? However the production I found to be very good. Cudi is one of my favorite rappers like top 20 and I guess this will do for 2024. Lyrics 20 Beats 23 Depth 21 Tilt 21 Verdict 85

Album Review: Lupe Fiasco's Tetsuo & Youth

Lupe has come back, and with a classic album. He seemed to be back on tracks with Food and Liquor II, but F&L2 wasn’t as fun to listen to as his earlier albums. Even LASERS was more fun. This album however, is very complex and fun to listen to. It’s also incredibly well produced. Lupe proves he’s still a top lyricist in the game. Check out his lyrical showcase on Mural, or storytelling on Prisoner 1 & 2. He’s got a really long song called Chopper which features a lot of guests but its all good. The last song might be the weakest which features Ab-Soul. No Scratches feat. Nikki Jean is one of my favorite songs here. The interludes are pretty intersing, but ultimately skippable. This album is already up for album of the year, and honestly it will be hard for anyone to match this effort. The verdict... its 10/10 for me. This is a great album

Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

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